NATO's top-ranked military officer said recently the threat posed by Russia, including its nuclear arsenal, is rapidly growing.

Gen. Petr Pavel chairs NATO's Military Committee and spoke to Politico about Russia and its military capabilities.

"We in uniform, we define the threat based on two major elements. One is the capability, the other is the intent," Pavel said. "When it comes to capability, there is no doubt that Russia is developing their capabilities both in conventional and nuclear components.

"When it comes to exercises, their ability to deploy troops for long distance and to use them effectively quite far away from their own territory, there are no doubts."

Pavel added, however, that Russia's intentions are not entirely clear. "It's not so clear because we cannot clearly say that Russia has aggressive intents against NATO," he said.